Former leading New Zealand publisher and bookseller, and widely experienced judge of both the Commonwealth Writers Prize and the Montana New Zealand Book Awards, talks about what he is currently reading, what impresses him and what doesn't, along with chat about the international English language book scene, and links to sites of interest to booklovers.

Monday, December 03, 2012

The top lot of the sale was an original concept painting by Gustaf Tenggren for Walt Disney Studios of Pinocchio dating from 1940 which sold for £43,250 / $69,200 / €43,414.

Caitlin Graham, Junior Specialist, Popular Culture-Film and Entertainment: “Strong results were achieved throughout Christie’s POP Culture auction, with passionate bidding seen for memorabilia from every decade of film and music history over the last century. The Golden Era of Hollywood witnessed the highest prices with two 1940s artworks, one for Disney’s Pinocchio and the other a studio portrait of Ava Gardner, selling for £43,250 each. Three iconic props originally made for the 1980s Indiana Jones film trilogy generated an exciting bidding war between many fans.

Indy’s bull-whip led the trio, selling to an online bidder in the US for £20,000, the ‘Grail Diary’

sold to the room for £18,750 and an absentee bid secured the prop chalice ‘Holy Grail’ for£11,875. Stage costume led the music offering, with Madonna’s instantly recognizable Jean Paul Gaultier beaded corset with conical cups selling for a world record price of £32,450, more than doubling the previous record set at Christie’s in 1999.

Mick Jagger’s Ossie Clark jumpsuit sold for £20,000 demonstrating the enduring appeal of

The Rolling Stones as they celebrate 50 years at the forefront of Rock and Roll.”

Nicolette Tomkinson, Director and Head of Popular Culture: “The sale attracted interest from fans, collectors and the media alike with the category continuing to appeal to a broad and international audience. Highlighting the increasing

prominence of online bidding, the auction witnessed a record for our South Kensington saleroom

with 62% of lots bought or underbid via Christie’s LIVE. This follows yesterday’s record sale in

New York when Edward Hopper’s October on Cape Cod sold for $9.6 million becoming the most